


Here's Your Second Chance

by SimmeringSun



Series: Siblings of Light [7]
Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Dr. Light's A+ Parenting, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Homelessness, Hugs, Identity Issues, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 17:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15953774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimmeringSun/pseuds/SimmeringSun
Summary: Quint is lost in the world. He believes he's a lost cause until he finds someone familiar underneath a slide.





	Here's Your Second Chance

Memory was a luxury that Quint didn't quite get.

He had ran away from that fight so long ago; he huddled in corners and licked his wounds.

Not knowing what to do with your life surprisingly gives you a lot of time. He walked around. He hid in shadows and looked on a city he's seen somewhere in a dream. He got a lot of those. He’s not sure if it's just memory or a hazy dream, but he remembers each one.

He remembers dreams of unclear figures. He sees himself strapped to a table, pleading for someone to stop as hands reach out towards him. He sees a little girl in red who played with chalked and always smiled. He sees a boy in red with a helmet in his hands, his eyes pupiless and without whites. He stares up in horror that reflected Quint’s own in those dreams.

He recounts his dreams as he walks on the sidewalk. It's the stark of night, so it was safe to be out. Quint supposes Mega Man has a bedtime. He supposes he had a bedtime.

He looks over at the empty park and frowns. He dreamt of this place once. The bottoms of his boots hit the wood chips, each step making a crunching sound. He walks over, reaching his hand out to grasp the chains of one of the swings. He is about to sit down before a voice stops him.

“We're not allowed on those.”, A voice says. Quint jumps and turns back. The kid with the red helmet stares back at him behind tinted glasses. He blinks, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes and ensure that this was not just another dream. The robot is sitting under the slide. He sits on a blanket and looks up at him.

“We're too heavy.”, The other explains. There's an edge of nervousness in his voice. “We weigh like 250 pounds so when we go on those they break. I tried before.”

“Oh.”, Quint says. “Who are you?”

“My name is Proto Man.”, The other says. “I know who you are Quint.”

“Are you a friend of Mega Man?”, Quint asks. He holds his breath when the other nods.

“I'm his brother.”, Proto Man says.

“Oh.”, Quint says as he takes in this information. Did this mean that Proto Man was his brother? But that just meant that he considered himself as Mega Man, and he isn't sure what to think of that yet.

He should probably run. He remembers his crushing defeat with the blue bomber and his core spins fastly inside his chest.

“I'm not going to tell him.”, Proto Man says like he read the other's mind. He speaks slowly, as if he's talking to a frightened kitten. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

“Oh.”, Quint says again. It's as if it's the only thing he knows how to say. Memories of dreams with this red robot pop in his head. He remembers hurting this robot. He remembers the fear and whirring colors he had felt in that dream.

“Where do you stay?”, Proto Man asks.

“Wherever I can.”, Quint says with a shrug. 

“You can stay with me if you want.”, Proto Man says.

“Stay with you...under the slide?”, Quint asks slowly. He looks at the tattered blanket and the pile of old papers besides a broken red crayon sitting on the floor. 

“Just for tonight.”, Proto Man says. “I move around.”

Quint stands there for a couple of moments before he crawls under the large slide and brings his knees up to his chest.

“You trust me?”, Quint asks.

“Not particularly. But I'm willing to give you a chance.”, Proto Man says like it's the most simple thing.

“I tried to kill your brother.”, Quint says.

“Yeah, welcome to the club.”, Proto Man says with a snort. A sad smile crosses his face. “Rock gave me a second chance after all that, and I honored it. We're cool now. I'm giving you a second chance too.”

“I still think about killing him.”, Quint says honestly. He looks at the criss cross of the metal above his head and frowns. “Sometimes I remember things.”

“The command to kill him is probably in your code.”, Proto Man says. “I know a doctor who can probably fix that.”

“Dr. Light?”, Quint asks. He doesn't know who this Dr. Light is, but the name slips off of his tongue naturally.

“No!”, Proto Man blurts out. He immediately calms down and looks away. “Uh, no he can't be trusted. I meant a doctor that goes by Dr. Cossack. I kind of owe him for something I did though, so I don't know if he will do it..We can always ask though.”

“Oh.”, Quint says. “I think I would like that.”

“Ok. He lives far away.”, Proto Man says. “But we can get there. I just have to make a visit before we go.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”, Quint asks. “I still feel angry about everything. I feel like I want to kill you, but I really don't.”

“Then don't.”, Proto Man says simply. “We'll get this command out of your system. You can trust me.”

“I think I want to go home.”, Quint says. He blinks and feels water coming out of his eyes. He doesn't know what to do, so he quickly wipes them away with the back of his hand. “I don't even know where my home is.”

“I know. You're very strong Quint.”, Proto Man says. He sounds honest, and it just makes Quint cry even more because he doesn't feel very strong at all. “We'll get you home eventually, I promise.”

Quint feels two arms wrap firmly around him. The embrace is warm. For some reason he feels safe in the hands of someone who he once would have considered an enemy. He lets out a shaky exhale before he slowly wraps his arms around the other. They stay there for a bit, and Quint closes his eyes.

He slowly drifts into a slumber in those arms. He slips into a dream with two red robots in red smiling at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Quint deserved better than the treatment he got. His boss battle was so easy and they gave us no context as to who he is in game. I hope he shows up again one day


End file.
